Acting leadership spiral throws S. Korea into pre-election uncertainty

Successive resignations of South Korea’s acting leaders this week have plunged the country into a fresh spiral of political uncertainty just weeks before it is set to elect a new leader following the ouster of former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Starting Friday, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Lee Ju-ho became South Korea’s new acting president, after former Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, who was the second in line to presidential succession, stepped down late Thursday amid the National Assembly’s move to impeach him.

Choi was to reassume the role as acting leader, as former acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo resigned earlier that day in a move widely seen as a step toward running in the June 3 presidential election.

Han made his bid official Friday.

The new acting leader Lee has less than five weeks to run the country, which will barely give him time to make any critical policy decision.

Lee, an economic scholar by background who has spent much of his career in public service in the field of education, is tasked with managing state affairs across the board, including the economy, trade and foreign policy.

Although Lee’s acting leadership is expected to be brief, concerns remain over the absence of a central government control tower and the inherent limitations in managing state affairs during this transitional period.

This uncertain climate adds to concerns as South Korea has been in crucial trade talks with the United States on tariff measures put forth by the Donald Trump administration before the 90-day pause on the levies expires July 8.

Upon formally assuming the role, Lee highlighted the focus on stable management of state affairs.

“I feel a deep sense of responsibility to be entrusted with this heavy duty,” Lee told reporters upon arriving at the government complex earlier in the day.

“I believe state affairs are run by the system. I will focus on ensuring fair election management … I will do my utmost to ensure stable governance,” he said.

In a National Security Council meeting, Lee called for maintaining a watertight readiness posture against North Korea’s possible provocations, as he assumed the interim leadership.

The Assembly’s late-night impeachment motion blitz against Choi is largely seen as a political retaliation by the parliament-controlling Democratic Party (DP), after the Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a lower court’s acquittal of the party’s former leader and presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung in an election violation case.

The Seoul High Court in March cleared Lee of charges that he lied during the previous election campaign in 2022. But the top court determined that Lee’s remarks related to a controversial land development project constitute the dissemination of false information under the election law.

The case now will be sent back to the appellate court for a review.

The top court’s latest ruling deals a blow to the DP, which had been counting on an advantage in the upcoming presidential race, with Lee widening his lead in recent opinion polls.

The DP said it will stand by Lee.

Park Chae-dae, the DP’s floor leader, called the court ruling “extremely irrational and unfair,” saying it’s a politically motivated “judicial coup” by the top court with the intention to interfere in the presidential election.

“It’s only obvious that there’s been an organized maneuver to shake up the election,” Park said on Friday.

Park said his party will not stop pursuing the legal process to hold Han and Choi accountable for their roles in the martial law debacle.

Lee Jae-myung expressed disappointment over the ruling.

“It’s a ruling that is in a completely different direction from what I thought,” he said after the ruling was announced.

“The will of the people is what’s most important,” he added, suggesting that he has no intention of stepping down as candidate.

With Han officially entering the high-stakes June 3 vote, it remains to be seen how the People Power Party (PPP) will coordinate with him and the two other potential presidential candidates — former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon and former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo — in selecting one single candidate for the party.

Han, known for his neutral image after having served under both conservative and liberal governments, has emerged as a potential favorite within the PPP to help salvage the party after months of disarray triggered by Yoon’s short-lived imposition of martial law in December.

“I decided to find something I can do for the future of the Republic of Korea I love and for all of us,” he said in a press conference at the Assembly as he formally declared the presidential bid. “I will do my utmost to be chosen by our people through the upcoming presidential election.”

Amid the unprecedented back-to-back resignations of acting leaders, the foreign ministry has recalled the diplomatic missives sent to foreign missions in the country, because the notices were to inform them that Choi would serve as acting president following Han’s resignation, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.

The ministry plans to send a revised version of the diplomatic letters to correct that Lee Ju-ho is the acting president, a source said.